Partition adaptor and ventilating air divider

ABSTRACT

A header assembly is adapted to be mounted on top of a partition wall and connected to an air outlet opening in a suspended ceiling system. The header has air divider means which will direct air to either side of the partition. The air divider is a simple X-shaped air deflector which alternately directs air to either side of the X-shape.

United States Patent 1191 Ehle et al. Dec. 4, 1973 54] PARTITION ADAPTOR AND VENTILATING 3,401,623 9/1968 Waeldner 98/40 DL AIR DIVIDER 2,554,167 5/1951 Anderson 138/37 3,173,616 3/1965 Lipscomb 98/40 DL Inventors: George Ehle; Jam s a 3,648,591 3 1972 Winnett.... 98/40 c both of Lancaster, Pa. 3,308,744 3/ 1967 Schach 98/40 D [73] Assignee: Armstrong Cork Company,

vLzmcasmr Pa. Primary ExammerW1ll1am E. Wayner Assistant Examiner-William E. Tapolcai, Jr. Filed: p 14, 1972 AttorneyClifford B. Price [21] Appl. No.: 244,125

[57] ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl. 98/40 1), 239/590 A header assembly is adapted to be mounted on p of 511 Int. Cl F24f 7/06, F241 13/06 a partition wall and connected to an air Outlet Opening 58 Field of Search 98/40 D, 40 DL, 40 c; in a suspended ceiling System The header has air 137 5 1 13 /37 39; 239 590 vider means which will direct air to either side-of the partition. The air divider is a simple X-shaped air de- [56] Referen e Ci d flector which alternately directs air to either side of UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1967 Bodian 98/40 D the X-shape.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PARTITION ADAPTOR AND VENTILATING AIR.

DIVIDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Air is directed into the headerand partition 26 divides the air and passes it to either side of thepartition wall.

US. Pat. No. 3,401,623 discloses an air divider which is Y-shaped and directs air to either side of an airoutlet passageway.

The prior art is replete with examples of air diffusers.- There also exist air dividers which can'beusedin-conjunction with partition walls. However, none of i the prior art structures uses a very simplified type of air di-' vider which also provides the additional advantage of deflecting sound so that sound will notbe passed from one portion into different portions of a partitioned.

area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I The invention herein is composedof the header structure and an air divider therein. The header structure is generallybox-shaped and extends along the partition wall. An opening in the top of the header communicates with the air outlet' opening in the suspended ceiling system. Apertures on the side of the header will distribute air to either side. of the partition wall. Within the header there is positioned an air divider which will direct the air to either side of the partition wall while at the same time reflect sound so that it will not be transmitted from one partitioned area into another partitioned area. The air divider is basicallyX-shapedand is composed of two componentswhich are'so cutout that they will intermesh together to form the X configu! ration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a sectional view of'a partition with theheader connected between the top of the partition and the ceiling air distribution system;

FIG. II is a perspective view of the. header; and air divider structure; and

FIG. III is a perspective view of the divider structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT above the partition is the air diffuser system 4 of the suspended ceiling system. The suspended ceiling system-6 is conventional in the artand is basicallycomposedof a support grid structure with-ceilingboards supported therein. Some of the support'grid structures are provided with air outlet openings. Air is fed to a boot structure 8 andthe bootstructure is fastened to the top of the air diffuser system 450 that conditioned air can be fed through. the air diffuser system 4 into the area underlying the suspended ceiling system. Often partitions are tied into the air diffuser system to provide a point at which the top of the partition can be anchored to the overlying ceiling.

An air header and diffuser assembly l0-is placed on top of the partition and engages the air outlet opening of the airdiffuser system 4.

Ofttimes the header structure. is rigidly fastened to the partition and the air diffuser system 4 so as to lock the top .of the partition to the overlying ceiling in the region of the air diffusersystem. As shownin FIG. II,

the header and air diffuser assembly 10 is composed of a box-likeheader structure 12 .which has a small opening at its upper side 14. The opening 16 is provided with flanges 18 which pass into the outlet opening of the air diffuser system 4 so that conditioned air may be channeled from the boot 8 to the air diffuser system 4 and into the header structure 12. Slots 20 are provided on thesideof the header structure at staggered intervals to provide an outlet for the conditioned air fromthe header 12. Within the header structure 12 there is positioned an air divider 22 which directs the air comingin through opening 16 to the slots 20 which are positioned on either side of the header structure 12.

In FIG. III, there is shown the air divider structure 22. This structure is basically an X configuration. A pluralty of flat pieces of material 24 are formed with notches 26 therein. This then generates a serrated top edge structure which has the notches 26 and tab-like structures 28. A second piece of material is formed similar to the first piece of material except that notches are provided opposite the tabs 28 of the firstpiece of material and vice versa. Therefore, the two pieces of material may be engaged in a configuration which on cross section will appear to be an X. While the bottom two legs of the X will extend forthe full length of the assembly, the top two legs of the X are actually formed from staggered short sections of the tab-like structures 28. Naturally, adjacent each tab-like structure there is a notch 26. Air coming from the opening 16 of the header structure 12 will strike a tab 28 and be deflected into and through the adjacent notch 26. Since the tabs are staggered down through the length of the divider, it is obvious that a certain portion of the air will be deflected to either side of the header structure 12 and will pass out thorugh slots 20 on either side of the header structure. Also, the existence of the X structure with the staggered notches and tabs will result in a minimizing of noise from one side of partition 2 to the other side thereof since the X structure obstructs a direct acoustical path through the header structure 12. The header structure could be used with the tab and notch structure so arranged that more or less air could be directed to one or the other side of the partition 2.

What is. claimed is:

l; A header assembly for dividing conditioned air from an elongated air outlet duct to two sides of a room partition wall disposed beneath the duct comprising, a box-like header structure which is positioned on top of the partition wall and which has an air inlet opening in its upper side for receiving conditioned air from the elongated duct, within the header structure there is positioned a geneally X-shaped air divider means which along its length will alternately direct air to either side of the air divider and out of openings on the side wall of the header structure, said air divider means is composed of two pieces of material which have at their upper edges alternate tab and slot structures which will mesh together to hold the two pieces of material in an X configuration with the tabs of one piece of material being inserted into the notch structure of the interlocking second piece of material.

2. The header assembly of claim 1 wherein the boxlike header structure has two side walls containing the openings through which air passes after being directed by the air divider, ssaid air divider being placed within the box-like header with the lower edges of the two pieces of material forming the air divider being positioned within the header structure with the bottom of the to pieces of the air divider being placed adjacent the bottom fo the side wall of the header structure 3. The header assembly of claim 2 wherein the upper edges of the two pieces of material forming the air divider have a plurality of alternate tab and slot structures which mesh together to hold the two pieces of material in the X configuration, said tabs are positioned closely adjacent the air inlet opening of the header structure and the tabs direct the inlet air towards either side of the header structure, while the lower portion of the two pieces of material forming the air divider directs the air out of the openings on the side walls of the header structure. 

1. A header assembly for dividing conditioned air from an elongated air outlet duct to two sides of a room partition wall disposed beneath the duct comprising, a box-like header structure which is positioned on top of the partition wall and which has an air inlet opening in its upper side for receiving conditioned air from the elongated duct, within the header structure there is positioned a geneally X-shaped air divider means which along its length will alternately direct air to either side of the air divider and out of openings on the side wall of the header structure, said air divider means is composed of two pieces of material which have at their upper edges alternate tab and slot structures which will mesh together to hold the two pieces of material in an X configuration with the taBs of one piece of material being inserted into the notch structure of the interlocking second piece of material.
 2. The header assembly of claim 1 wherein the box-like header structure has two side walls containing the openings through which air passes after being directed by the air divider, ssaid air divider being placed within the box-like header with the lower edges of the two pieces of material forming the air divider being positioned within the header structure with the bottom of the to pieces of the air divider being placed adjacent the bottom fo the side wall of the header structure.
 3. The header assembly of claim 2 wherein the upper edges of the two pieces of material forming the air divider have a plurality of alternate tab and slot structures which mesh together to hold the two pieces of material in the X configuration, said tabs are positioned closely adjacent the air inlet opening of the header structure and the tabs direct the inlet air towards either side of the header structure, while the lower portion of the two pieces of material forming the air divider directs the air out of the openings on the side walls of the header structure. 